Heart Attack Aftereffects: Recovery, Risks & Long-Term Health

A heart attack occurs when blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked which can cause severe damage to the heart and often death; heart attack survivors face several possible after effects.

Motivation

• Many heart attack survivors feel increased motivation to experience life and take steps to increase heart health to prevent future heart attacks.

Repeat Attacks

• After someone has suffered one heart attack, it is very likely that that person will have another heart attack within the next several years.

Chest Pain

• It is possible to experience chest pain or angina long after having an initial heart attack, especially during physical activity.

Depression

• Depression is common in the aftermath of a heart attack as is the feeling of the inevitability of dying from a future heart attack. Any small chest pain may bring about fears of another attack.

Impotence

• Coronary artery disease or clogged arteries of the heart which is strongly associated with heart attack is also linked to erectile dysfunction (ED) in men. Decreased heart function can impair blood flow, which can contribute to ED.